DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Which Delivery App Is Best for You?

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Many food delivery companies have emerged to satisfy a crescent demand for this type of service in recent years. Grubhub and DoorDash are only some of the most popular in the United States. If you’re interested in driving for one of them or being a customer, here’s a thorough comparison of both companies.

DoorDash vs. Grubhub Overview

Before diving deeper into the advantages and downsides of DoorDash vs. Grubhub, here’s a little bit about each company. 

What Is DoorDash?

DoorDash has come a long way since its early days. This company now delivers for thousands of restaurants across the United States and in all corners of Canada, Japan, Germany and Australia. Today, DoorDash is an excellent delivery service for customers who want to get groceries, essential items and their favorite food without leaving home.

What Is Grubhub?

This popular company was founded in 2004 as an alternative to paper menus. In 2013, it merged with Seamless’ food delivery service, becoming the food delivery giant customers know and love. Today, Grubhub processes over 715,000 daily orders and features more than 365,000 restaurant partners across more than 4,000 American cities.

DoorDash vs. Grubhub Customer Experience

If you live in an area where both DoorDash and Grubhub are available or you travel frequently and like to use these services, here’s a rundown of how the customer experience compares between the two.

Ordering

How easy it is to order can make or break your decision to use a food delivery service.

Grubhub Ordering

Grubhub’s app is user-friendly. Details such as your proximity to the restaurant and approximate wait times to have your food delivered are posted for each restaurant. If a restaurant is closing soon, the app notes it in red. The app also allows you to invite up to 20 friends to join your order — known as a group order — so everyone can enter their own order.

Here’s how to order from the Grubhub app:

1. Open the app and enter your street address.
2. Tap “Delivery” or “Pickup” from the toggle button. All available restaurants near you will pop up.
3. Browse the menus and select the food items you want by adding them to your bag.
4. Tap “View order” to review your order, indicate if you want utensils and add a tip for your delivery driver.
5. Tap “Continue to Checkout” to enter your desired payment, review your address, add any special instructions and complete your order.

DoorDash Ordering

DoorDash’s app is a little more cluttered and clunky than Grubhub’s, but offers more search options to find the food items you want. It posts estimated delivery and pickup times and also offers a “Group Order” feature. You can also use the DoorDash app to order a variety of other items, such as pet food, flowers, groceries and gifts.

Here’s how to order with the DoorDash app:

1. Sign in and choose the restaurant you want to order from.
2. Browse the menu and select each item you want.
3. Tap “Add to Order” for each item.
4. Tap “View Cart” to review your ordered items and total.
5. Tap “Continue.”
6. Select your payment method, enter any special instructions and add a tip.
7. Tap “Place Order” to complete your order.

Food Selection

When you order from a food delivery service, you’re going want to a selection that includes your favorites.

Grubhub Food Selection

Grubhub offers a variety of foods from chain restaurants, fast food places, local eateries and convenience stores. The app is organized into categories, like the following: “Don’t Break the Bank,” “30 Minutes or Less” and “Support Local Favorites” — or you can scroll through all of the available restaurants.

DoorDash Food Selection

Like Grubhub, DoorDash offers a variety of foods from chain restaurants, fast food place, local eateries and convenience stores. It also has a “Trending Now” section where you can see what local people are ordering in real time. Once you choose a restaurant, you can see the most popular items ordered. This could be helpful if you are traveling and staying in an unfamiliar city.

You can search for what you want in a variety of ways, and the app is organized into categories, such as “Try Something New,” “Most Popular Local Restaurants,” “Fastest Near You” and “Now on DoorDash.”

Delivery Charges

Typical delivery charges are similar for both food delivery services. But those charges might vary according to the restaurant you choose or time of day.

Grubhub Delivery Charges

Grubhub’s typical delivery fee is between $5-$6. Its service fee is 2.9% of the order. So on a $40 delivery order, you would pay $1.16 as a service fee, plus the delivery fee.

DoorDash Delivery Charges

DoorDash delivery fees will vary depending on a few factors, such as the restaurant you order from and the time of day. However, like Grubhub, a typical DoorDash delivery fee is between $5-$6. You might also incur service fee of up to $3.

Problem Resolution

Here’s what to expect if you have an issue with your order.

Grubhub Problem Resolution

Grubhub offers the Grubhub Guarantee, which is its promise to give you the best price and on-time delivery with every meal you order.

If you compare the price you paid to the price of another food delivery service and you paid more, Grubhub will email you a Grubhub Guarantee Perk for the difference, up to $10, and also give you $5 off your next Grubhub order. If your meal is late, Grubhub will email you a Grubhub Guarantee Perk to use on your next order.

DoorDash Problem Resolution

DoorDash asks that customers report orders that were not delivered on time, but it does not specify on its website how the issue will be resolved. It does offer a Quality Guarantee for items that are spoiled or not fresh, incorrect or missing — or if you are unhappy with a substitution.

You must report the issue within 24 hours to receive a refund or a DoorDash credit at DoorDash’s discretion.

DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Driver Experience

If you’re looking for a side gig but you don’t want to drive people around, DoorDash and Grubhub are both popular options. Here’s a look at the details of delivering for each company to help you decide which is better for your needs.

Who Pays Drivers More?

Numerous factors are taken into account to calculate how much each platform pays its drivers.

Grubhub Pay

Grubhub uses the the following factors to calculate pay:

• Delivery pay: Base pay — mileage, delivery type, time to deliver and the local market — and any bonuses
• Grubhub Contribution: Minimum guaranteed rate if you’re having a slow day
• Special offers: Rewards for completing “Missions” or completing deliveries in a certain amount of time, participating in sweepstakes and receiving bonuses
• Tips: Additional earnings provided by customers

When drivers receive an offer with multiple orders, the mileage is calculated for all orders together. Additionally, if a new order comes in before the driver has completed the current delivery, the estimated time will start running when the current delivery has been finalized.

The variables may change by market, depending on driver demand, location and ease of pick up and delivery. Drivers get to keep 100% of the tips they earn. This way, Grubhub ensures all drivers get paid fairly and competitively.

DoorDash Pay

DoorDash has its own payment scheme: The Dasher Pay Model. This sums base pay with promotions and tips. Dashers also keep their tips in full.

With DoorDash, base pay ranges from $2 to $10 and is calculated by time and distance. In addition, earnings with this courier may be increased with special promotions, such as:

• Peak Pay: Offers extra money per delivery during peak hours
• Challenges: Give Dashers rewards when completing a certain number of orders in a specific amount of time
• Guaranteed Earnings: A pay incentive for select Dashers to earn at least a specific amount within a set number of days. These variables depend on the offer Dashers were sent via email or SMS. Guaranteed earnings don’t include tips, challenge payments or referral payments.

Dashers and Grubhub drivers are considered independent contractors. Therefore, partners are responsible for their own tax withholdings when driving with either company. DoorDash reports that, before adding tips, Dashers make $25 per hour nationally. According to Glassdoor estimates, Grubhub drivers make around $20 per hour.

Where You Can Work With DoorDash vs. Grubhub

Depending on where you live and your goals, knowing where you can work with DoorDash vs. Grubhub could be a deciding factor for you.

Grubhub Service Area

Grubhub serves 32 million active diners and is available in more than 4,000 cities in the U.S. Nowadays, drivers can work in every state. However, they must follow regional boundaries when accepting orders. This helps ensure all drivers get as many orders as possible.

Occasionally, Grubhub partners will receive requests through the app to serve an area outside their regular region boundaries.

DoorDash Service Area

DoorDash also has full coverage in the U.S. Unlike Grubhub delivery partners, Dashers don’t have regional restrictions. They can Dash wherever they want as long, as they’re able to complete their orders in the required time.

The only limitation Dashers face when picking delivery areas is that they’re not allowed to switch between countries. So, if you’re a Dasher in the United States and want to deliver in Canada, for example, you’d have to go through a separate application process.

Good To Know

DoorDash is the biggest food delivery service in many major cities in America. Bloomberg Second Measure found that in Jan. 2023, DoorDash accounted for 65% of consumer meal delivery sales, and Grubhub accounted for only 10%. That’s why Dashers are often more likely to get higher earnings than Grubhub drivers.

Scheduling Shifts

Grubhub and DoorDash allow their delivery partners to build their own schedules. Shifts are opened for selection at a specific time during the previous week and are typically on a first-come-first-served basis. Additionally, drivers are able to choose to work on an open schedule if they cannot commit to a fixed one.

DoorDash Shift Schedules

DoorDash has a Dash Now feature that allows drivers to work on demand when areas are busy and there are not enough Dashers to fulfill all of the orders. The option becomes unavailable once things slow down and there are enough drivers available.

Grubhub Shift Schedules

Grubhub driving partners, on the other hand, can start driving at any time regardless of how busy it is.

Accepting Orders

Grubhub and DoorDash both try to encourage drivers to accept as many orders as possible, but in different ways.

Grubhub Order Acceptance

Grubhub doesn’t have a minimum acceptance level for its drivers. However, to advance in its Driver Recognition Program, which unlocks rewards and benefits, drivers need to have a minimum acceptance rate of at least 85%.

DoorDash Order Acceptance

DoorDash has a different approach. While the company doesn’t have a minimum acceptance rate, it has an incentive program to encourage drivers to take more orders.

Incentive Programs: Top Dasher vs. Tiers

Both companies have incentive programs to reward partners who want to make a full-time job out of driving. Partners who drive constantly and pick up more orders than others are eligible to receive perks and early scheduling access.

DoorDash Top Dasher

With DoorDash, drivers must meet the following requirements to become a Top Dasher:

• Customer satisfaction rating: 4.7 out of 5
• Minimum acceptance rate: At least 70%
• Completed orders: At least 95%
• Deliveries completed in the last month: 100 or more
• Lifetime deliveries: 200 or more

Top Dashers get to be the first to pick orders and are prioritized over newcomers for rewards and perks. They have less competition over incentive-winning orders and are able to use Dash Now privileges even when it’s not busy in their area.

Grubhub Driver Recognition Program

Grubhub has a driver recognition program that consists of a three-tier system to rank delivery drivers:

• Partner: The default tier for new drivers
• Pro: All drivers that show up for their schedule blocks and have a minimum acceptance rate of 85%
• Premier: Rewards the most loyal drivers and gives access to privileged scheduling. Premiere Drivers can access catering orders to bring in more cash.

Final Take

Becoming a delivery driver is an excellent alternative for those looking to make some cash on the side in a flexible and simple way. Although different in some of their policies, both Grubhub and DoorDash are excellent options to get a part-time gig or even a full-time job if you’re willing to commit.

The guide above will help you decide which company better meets your specific needs. Make sure to compare and contrast both options before taking the plunge.

Daniela Rivera-Herrera contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of March 14, 2023.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

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